by Ann Grech
An arm getting thrown around her shoulder and the flash of a camera startled Katy. Sarah, her friend, stood next to her taking a selfie. Katy pushed away from her and pursed her lips, irritated at herself for her reaction to her friend.
“What’s up, Katy?”
“Nothing.” Even she could hear how sullen she sounded.
“You’re being shitty.” Sarah hiked up her eyebrows daring Katy to respond and when she didn’t, Sarah continued. “You’ve been shooting daggers at Connor all night. Sick of him in your space?”
“What? No.” Katy shook her head. “He’s great….” She didn’t know how to put into words what was going on in her head, wasn’t sure if she’d share it with Sarah anyway. “He’s not imposing on us at all. He’s smart and sweet, and we love having him with us.”
“So what’s the problem then?”
Katy bit down on her knuckle. “It’s nothing. I’m being stupid.”
“If you’re not happy, it’s not nothing.” Sarah looked her over, assessing her. Katy was no good at hiding her emotions at the best of times, but that night she was raw, exposed. She wasn’t surprised when Sarah asked, “Are you falling in love with him?”
“No, I mean, he’s Lee’s best friend. They’re like brothers—”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t fall for him.”
Katy shook her head more vehemently this time. “We’ve been friends forever. I love him like a brother.” Katy winced. She didn’t love him like a brother—not even close to it. And there was no doubt that Con was ogling Levi the day before. After that, she wouldn’t even classify their relationship as brotherly; especially not after Levi had told her that they’d showered together. She closed her eyes, fear overtaking her. If they’re in love, they won’t need me. I want them happy, but where would it leave me? It’d tear me apart—I’d lose the love of my life and both my best friends.
“Well?” Sarah prompted.
“Well what?” Katy asked, unaware of Sarah having even asked her a question.
“Are you and Levi okay?”
“Yeah.” Katy paused and nodded, smiling. “Yeah, he’s great. We’re great. I love him.”
“I’m always here if you want to talk, you know that.”
“Thanks, Sarah.” Katy gave her a small smile, her attention shifting to Levi when he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple. Katy snuggled into him, needing his strength.
“You okay, sugar? You’ve been quiet tonight.”
“Having a bit of a rough night, but I’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, me too.” He squeezed her tighter and Katy breathed him in, never wanting to let him go.
She sliced a piece of cake and plated it, handing it to her man, before kissing him softly. “Happy birthday, babe.” He winked at her and took a bite, his eyes rolling back in his head at the dense black forest cherry cake she’d made. Grinning, she cut another piece and held it out to Con. Her insides knotted when Miranda snatched it out of her hand before he could grip it. He pursed his lips together, stifling a grin when Miranda held out a forkful, trying to feed him. The fact that he saw the humour in what she was doing made it a little easier to stomach, but it still cut like a knife when Con turned his attention to Miranda and took the bite she offered. She loved her friend, but God what was she thinking setting them up? She wanted him happy, but it was tearing her apart watching Con with her. And the guilt at being so selfish was eating Katy alive.
Con was drunk, and Levi was taking Miranda back to her place, no doubt dropping Con off there too, before Levi headed home. Ironic that it was his birthday and he was the designated driver, but it wasn’t surprising. Katy couldn’t handle another headache like the one she’d struggled with the day before—there was no way she was doing it again. She kicked the front door closed and dropped her shoes on the floor. She’d abandoned them in the club, dancing in bare feet toward the end of the night, and her feet were killing her. The damn jumpsuit she wore wasn’t comfortable either. It looked super cute on—short shorts with a low V-shaped neckline that sat just above her bellybutton, and long sleeves—and totally worth wearing, but her skin was starting to get irritated by all the taping she had to wear to keep her boobs in place. A hot shower would do her a world of good.
She stripped as she walked to their attached bathroom, dropping the jumpsuit halfway down the hall. Her nude underwear went next, the G-string falling by the bed and, finally, the damn tape. Dumping it in the bin beside the toilet, Katy turned on the water and waited for it to heat before stepping under. Streaming down on her, Katy held her breath under the spray. Tired muscles relaxed in the pounding heat and she sighed in relief when, one by one, she held the soles of her feet in the stream. Resting her hands on the tiled wall, Katy closed her eyes and tried to quiet her mind. She didn’t wish for much, just the impossible. Fucking irony. She shook her head. She was being greedy and forgetting how wonderful her life was. She had an amazing man who would do anything for her. Levi loved fiercely and was loyal to a fault. She adored him with every fibre of her being. Katy wouldn’t give Levi up for the world, so Con being happy and falling for someone was a good thing—it meant that the three of them would be happy. They didn’t need to be together for that—who the hell had a three-way relationship anyway? No, she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Flipping off the water after washing herself, Katy dried and brushed out her hair before pulling on one of Levi’s oversized T-shirts. Some guys thought lingerie was sexy, but not Levi. He loved it when she wore his clothes—and she loved being wrapped in something that smelled of him, that told him how she craved his strong arms around her. And with Con staying at Miranda’s house, he was sure to do just that.
The door crashing open startled her, making her move towards it to check on Levi. As she did, Con yelled, “Honey, we’re home.”
“Shh,” Levi hissed as another crash sounded, a set of keys falling onto the floor when Con stumbled.
“It’s okay babe, I’m up,” Katy reassured him as she leaned against the wall, smiling at the sight before her. Levi was trying to manhandle a drunk Con into his bedroom, but Con had other ideas, grasping onto the doorframe.
“Damn,” Con breathed, perusing her from head to toe. His gaze was like warm honey, making tingles erupt all over her as he openly appreciated her. “I love you, you know.” He was slurring, the shots he’d downed earlier in the night still affecting him. “And you, Lee. Love both of you.” Katy couldn’t help but grin. He was an adorable drunk.
“Come on, boo. Let’s get you into bed.” Katy moved to stand on Con’s other side and wrapped her arm around his waist, helping Levi guide him into his room.
“I’m hard again,” he moaned, rubbing the bulge in his jeans.
Turning to Levi, Katy nodded to the bed. “Let’s get him lying down, and we’ll be able to get his clothes off.”
“Fuck, yeah. I’ll look after you, Cupcake.”
“Not tonight, boo,” she replied gently. Levi unzipped his jeans as Katy pulled off his shoes and socks, tossing them onto the floor.
“Lift your arse up, Con,” Lee ordered quietly, tugging down his jeans once he did. Katy reached out and helped guide them off. She moved back up his body and unbuttoned his shirt. Smoothing her palms over his muscled chest, Katy pushed the soft material off his shoulders. Con smiled a lazy, contented grin. But there was heat lurking behind the liquor-induced haze. Levi took his hand and pulled Con up so he was sitting on the bed, then straddled one of Con’s thighs to hold him in place. While Levi did that, Katy knelt behind Con and pulled his shirt away.
Running her hands over his smooth skin, Katy caught the hitch in Con’s breath and the subtle way he swayed between her touch and Levi’s. Sitting there, legs spread, wearing only a pair of tight black boxer shorts, Con pushed his hand down, adjusting the erection tenting them. A moan, that was almost illicit with the need tainting it, had Katy shifting, moving to the side so she could help Con lie down. The two of them were barely wea
ring anything—Katy only a T-shirt and Con in his underwear—and she found herself wishing that Levi would hurry the hell up and get undressed too.
Con ran his callused hand up her leg, tracing the curve of her ass, as he fisted Lee’s shirt and pulled them toward him when he laid back. Katy pitched forward and fell on top of him, her breasts pushing against the hard planes of his chest. Levi hovered over them, holding himself up with one strong arm, the other hand on Con’s chest, his strong fingers flexing into the lean muscle there. Katy couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight of them together. Levi’s knee was pressed between Con’s legs, and Con rocked his hips, grinding against the thick muscle with smooth, sensual movements.
She couldn’t resist touching him, a shiver racing through her body as she trailed her fingertips over his rippling abs. Con nuzzled into her hair, the puff of warm breath against her temple making her sigh. Levi moaned quietly before going rigid next to her. Whatever spell was winding itself around them was broken, the growing intimacy between them instantly evaporating.
“Ah, I… we… I’ve gotta go.” Levi stumbled off the bed backward and hit the wall, his chest heaving with the breaths he sucked in.
“Me too,” Katy whispered, inexplicably close to tears. Shame pulsed through her as she jumped off the bed and raced out the door. She was pushing them into something neither wanted. Desire clouded her better judgement, and it was going to destroy their relationship. She just knew it. What the hell was she thinking, undressing Con and touching him like she had a right to?
Alone and instantly missing the warmth of the two men she’d been so close to a second ago, Katy cried.
Levi
It would have been so easy to let go, to kiss the plump lips of the man in front of him, to give into temptation. But it wasn’t easy, and he couldn’t give in. Connor’s touch—so different to Katy’s—held him pinned to the spot as Connor rutted on his leg. The thing was, Levi had no idea whether it was visions of Katy almost naked and looking as hot as hell in his T-shirt, the shots his friend had downed, or whatever the heck it was growing between the three of them—assuming Levi wasn’t totally off his rocker and imagining things—that had Connor so turned on. But whichever the reason, Levi’s dick didn’t seem to mind. He was hard as stone in a pair of jeans which were, at that moment, far too tight.
Levi was starting to admit to himself that it wasn’t just his girlfriend who turned him inside out, who had him hard in an instant. It was Connor too. The dream he’d been having over and over of the three of them together, sweaty and sated, had him waking up every morning with a boner which demanded satisfaction. The fact that he now had memories of Connor’s soapy hands running over his skin, of his lean body aroused as much as he’d been, made him swing back and forth between blindingly horny and terrified. What did it mean? He’d always classed himself as straight, but maybe he’d just been oblivious. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge whatever it was that he was struggling with now. He may not have been sure of his sexuality, but he could no longer deny that Connor did something to him. The other man’s strength, the knowledge that Connor could and did pull him down, knocking him completely off balance—metaphorically as much as physically—had Levi so damn close to giving in that he was wobbling on a tightrope, only a misstep away from a long drop with a very hard landing. And yet, he was tempted, so tempted to jump, to freefall into his best friend. It was only Katy, sexy in his tee and lying next to him, on top of Connor, and the knowledge that he’d break her heart that stopped him from leaning in to kiss Connor. And wasn’t knowing that—realizing that maybe he’d denied another side of himself—a total mind fuck?
Hovering above Connor after he’d pulled him down, Levi tentatively pressed his leg between Connor’s a little harder, giving the other man a touch more friction against his cock. The punch of Con’s hips up had Levi imagining diving off that tightrope and showing exactly how far he could fall. He never intended the moan that escaped his lips to break free, but when it came out at the same time as Katy’s sigh, Levi went rigid. What in the hell was he doing? He couldn’t do that to Katy, couldn’t hurt her by taking that step.
Wouldn’t.
The force of his thoughts slammed into him like a freight train, and he stumbled back off the bed, connecting with the wall before he could fall. Hands pressed against the cool surface, Levi’s heart pounded in his chest, beating hard enough that he could hear the rushing of blood through his veins. Katy rushed from the room, tears in her eyes. She could tell what was going through his mind. He knew it. When he turned back to Connor, what he saw broke him, crushed his heart like it was in a vice. Where a moment ago he was playful, sensual, his face had paled and he held a pillow in front of him, shielding himself with it. Scrambling up the bed so he was in the far corner, Connor looked like he’d been slapped. Levi was torn, literally being ripped in two. Who the hell did he choose? His girlfriend—the love of his life—or his lifelong best friend? He’d hurt both of them, all because of his selfishness. All because he thought he might, one day, be ready to accept that he had another side to himself he’d hidden from.
Levi dropped his gaze and, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, slunk away from Connor. Hands in his pockets, he stood outside his own bedroom and looked to the closed door. The physical barrier between them spoke volumes. He turned away and headed for the couch in the living room.
*****
“Catch ya later. I’ll be back tomorrow,” Connor muttered. They’d barely seen him in the week since the clusterfuck that was the aftermath of Levi’s birthday party, but when they had, he’d been distant. Connor wasn’t the only one though. Things had been strained between all of them, and the guilt of it ate Levi alive. Every time he looked at Katy without her smile, he wanted the ground to swallow him. He’d put that misery on her face by playing with fire. He’d taken her happiness, and Levi didn’t even know where to begin to get it back.
Connor stood before him, waiting for a response. On the surface, he looked good in his jeans and Henley, but the dark circles under his eyes told Levi he also lay awake at night. Not that he’d needed the hint—he’d heard Connor’s pained moans from the room next door. The nightmares he’d been plagued with had broken Levi’s heart. He’d wanted so much to go to him, but he hadn’t. He couldn’t risk hurting Katy more.
“You planning on staying at Miranda’s?” Not that it was any of his business to know, but something in Levi’s screwed up brain made him ask.
“Yeah, probably.” He shrugged. “Maybe. I dunno yet.”
“Well, have fun.” Levi couldn’t look him in the eye anymore, couldn’t see the judgement in his gaze.
“You too, mate.” His response was quiet, withdrawn, much like he’d been for the better part of the week. Levi sighed and scrubbed a hand across his forehead. He had a headache.
Katy’s hands on his shoulders, massaging them had him leaning into her touch. She murmured to him, “Dinner’ll be ready in a few. Why don’t you go shower? You’ll feel better.”
“Yeah, sugar, thanks.” He gave her a small smile and stood up. He hated breaking the contact between them—the first for days—but she was right, he needed a shower.
It was unlike Katy to keep her mobile with her at the dinner table, but when it dinged with a message, she practically jumped for it. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was nervous. But over what? Taking a deep breath and blowing it out slowly, Katy looked over at him and opened her mouth as if to say something. Hesitating, she stopped and shook her head. “Gimme a minute. I’ll be back.”
Levi watched, confused and more than a little worried, while Katy pushed back her chair and walked to the front of the house. When he heard the door, Levi stood and followed the path she’d taken, calling out, “Katy, you okay?”
Standing before him with Katy was a familiar face. He’d seen her before—her style was unmistakeable—but he couldn’t place where.
“Lee, do you remember Adelaide?”
&nb
sp; Hearing her name, jogged his memory. He knew exactly where he’d met her before. “I do.” Levi smiled and held out his hand. The woman before him looked like a more daring version of Sandra Dee with her hot pink hair and sweet yet sexy styling—she pulled off the black corporate looking dress with just a hint of cleavage, pale pink cardigan with the top button done up, fishnets and killer heels really well. Even the suitcase she wheeled around with her matched her style. “Good to see you again. You’re Con’s friend, aren’t you?”
“I am.” Adelaide smiled and shook his hand.
“Let’s head into the lounge room.” Katy led them to the room he’d just come from and sat awkwardly at one end of the couch. “Sit here, Lee.” She patted the middle seat—her usual spot.
“Not that I mind visitors, because Adelaide you’re always welcome here, but what’s going on, sugar? You’re kinda freaking me out.”
“I wanted to get you something special for your birthday. I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea anymore… this week has kinda sucked, but well….” She trailed off, looking awkwardly between the two of them.
Levi sat down heavily and held his head low. “I’m sorry, Katy. It’s my fault—”
“It’s not. It’s mine—” Katy stopped talking when Levi reached out and squeezed her hand.
“It’s not your fault. Never think that.” When Katy wrapped her arms around his waist, Levi kissed her temple and held her tightly. He looked over when he heard Adelaide lay down the case she was rolling in and sat down on the armchair next to Katy.